appleseed is an open source, physically-based global illumination rendering engine primarily designed for animation and visual effects.
appleseed is actively developed by a small, international team of talented volunteers from the animation and VFX industry. Its core mission is to provide individuals and small studios with a complete, reliable, fully open rendering package.
Over the years appleseed has been used on several projects including TV documentaries, ads, promotional videos and an animation short.
Publisher’s description
What is appleseed?
appleseed is an open-source 3d & cad program for Windows from appleseedhq. It is written in C++.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit as Portable. It runs without installation (portable).
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (appleseedhq/appleseed) has 2,332 stars. Similar programs include PrusaSlicer, Ultimaker Cura and MeshLab.
Project description on GitHub: “A modern open source rendering engine for animation and visual effects”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Portable: runs without installation
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- No update for more than a year
In short: appleseed is an open-source 3d & cad tool for 64-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down.
Is appleseed safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
2983A78C0BBA0B4F89B22BB0DA688390645F717CB92E9B671D6E9812275F4DA3· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the appleseedhq/appleseed repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No dangerous workflows10
- Licence declared10
- No binaries in the repository9
- Code review8
- Actively maintained0
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Branch protection0
- Signed releases0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 1 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1.0-betaLatest | July 31, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id appleseedhq.appleseed -eRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- appleseedhq
- Category
- 3D & CAD
- Licence
- MIT
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/appleseedhq/appleseed
- Written in
- C++
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 2.1.0-beta
- Released
- July 31, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- July 31, 2025
- Versions listed
- 1
- GitHub stars
- 2,332
- GitHub forks
- 352
- Website
- appleseedhq.net
- winget ID
- appleseedhq.appleseed
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is appleseed free?
Yes. appleseed is open-source software under the MIT licence.
Is appleseed safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install appleseed with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does appleseed run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Can I use appleseed without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to appleseed?
PrusaSlicer, Ultimaker Cura, MeshLab, OpenToonz and NetLogo. The alternatives page compares them.
